Offered a job in Ft Meade. Opinions wanted. (Baltimore, Columbia: apartments, townhomes)

[Emrak]

I'm a single male with an 11 year old son moving back up north to be nearer family. I have been offered a job at Ft Meade (as a contractor, not as a government civilian).

My wants:

1. 3 bedroom for a max of 1200 a month (a 2 bedroom would be fine as well, just not my ideal)
2. Kid-friendly area (parks nearby)
3. Walk-friendly/Bike-friendly area (even just having sidewalks is helpful)
4. Varied night-life within a 15-30 minute radius
5. Edu-tainment opportunities not too far away (zoos, museums, etc.)

Does any of this match the area in the vicinity of Ft Meade?

Generally speaking, what are your opinions of this area?

Thanks

[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by Emrak

Does any of this match the area in the vicinity of Ft Meade?

Items 2-5 would have positive answers. However, you will not find a three bedroom house for $1200 in a decent area. Think more like $1800-2000. You could find a 2 bedroom apartment for $1200 in Columbia.

[Emrak]

Thanks for the input golden. I did a search for apartments in Columbia and there seems to be a plethora of cheap 3 bedrooms...is Columbia a shady area? Or perhaps has poor schools? Just trying to figure out why the apartment listings do not jive with your analysis (which, for the record, I put far more credence in the opinions of locals like yourself than I do in online apt ads).

Please see http://www.apartmentguide.com/

[goldenage1]

I don't rely on apartmentguide, but was using Realtor.com . On the whole, Columbia is a great community, but there are some income-restricted complexes in Columbia, and there are some places where the schools are not as good. In addition, I think the apartmentguide.com lists things that are not really available. For example, there may be only a few 3-BR in the complex. For comparison, I used apartmentratings.com and it found only 4 complexes less than $1200. They all had some poor ratings.

I'm not up-to-date on the "good" complexes in Columbia, so I suggest searching the forum for "good neighborhoods in Columbia". Also, perhaps your company's HR department can supply listings.

I also searched Craigslist for Annapolis. If your budget is strictly limited to $1200, your best prospects are probably in Glen Burnie. Glen Burnie is an OK area, but it may not meet your ideal criteria. Odenton, Hanover, Elkridge are nearby, but the apartments are all more expensive.

[carroll4628]

Columbia doesn't have poor schools relatively speaking. Sure, they're not as good as some of the others in Ellicott City or Clarksville, but compared to Baltimore County, PG County, or even Anne Arundel Co, Howard County has arguably some of the best schools in the state. (Taking all ratings with a grain of salt), even the Columbia middle schools get 7s on the greatschools.org site. GreatSchools.org Search: howard county
Also, HC has great programs for kids through the parks and rec department. Howard County - About Recreation and Parks
But, Howard County is also expensive (folks move here for the schools). I would look in Hanover and Elkridge as well as Laurel (although the further south you go, the rougher it gets, but once again it's not like you're in Baltimore or DC). Rt. 1 is an industrial road, but there are off streets with townhomes/apartments.

For the rest of it - in Elkridge you're 30min to the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, 45 min (no traffic) to the Mall in DC (for all the free museums and zoo), BWI airport is right there (cheaper flights than DCA or IAD). Lots of parks in Colubmia/Howard County - Patapsco St Park and Rockburn are great for biking - both have flat trails and some serious mtn. biking sections at patapsco. A couple of hours to the western mountains, a couple of hours to the ocean, you can head down to Williamsburg/Jamestown or up to Philly for some history. Take a train to NYC. I think it's just a great place - mountains, lakes, forests, rolly-polly hills, cities (with culture), cities (that are scary), all the major sporting teams to watch (even going to a DC United game is pretty easy), free shows at the Kennedy Center, taking the MARC and the CD Metro between the cities.

The 'FALL LINE' going through Maryland & DC.

[bande1102]

Have you considered Crofton? Great schools and neighborhood, new shopping centers, new elem school, and convenient location between Annapolis, Baltimore, and DC. PM me re apartments if you're interested. No, I'm not a realtor or anything. Just happen to lived in the area for several years.